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Report from the DC Big Flea – September 2017

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to go toy hunting, so when the DC Big Flea rolled into town again this past weekend, I jumped at the chance to go. Their Fall show is always my favorite one to attend because many of the vendors bring vintage Halloween items, which I love to see, but have not yet dipped into collecting. I also enjoy the vintage plastic Santa Claus decorations that start showing up at this show — something that I have started to collect.

There seemed to be a few new pop culture-oriented vendors at the show this time around, which made browsing a lot more fun. I managed to find a few fun things to add to the collection.

I saved an old Ben Cooper Batman mask from a disorganized heap. The seller had some empty costume boxes, but no Batman box, so I asked him to throw in the Masters of the Universe Buzz-Off to help protect the mask until I got home. I also picked up another plastic AHI Batmobile to add to the fleet. This is actually one of my favorite vintage Batmobiles because it has painted figures for both Batman and Robin.

I’ve had the various Avon super hero items in my collection for awhile, but never got around to adding boxed versions until now. These will be added to the Batman brush and Superman bubble bath I already have, and then I think the set is done. If you ever get one of these bubble bath bottles, know that the soap smells really strong. Even though the bottles are closed tight, the smell of the soap still seeps out and makes my throat raw. I kept the Superman bottle in a closed cabinet for a while, but every time I opened the door, the smell was overwhelming.

This was my favorite find of the day. The Superman string art was made from a craft kit produced by Smith House in 1976. The boxed kit isn’t all that exciting, but I love this finished project so much! This is exactly the kind of item that I seek out for my collection — something that fits the vintage super hero theme and looks great on display. I’m done buying things that just get thrown in a storage bin, and staring at a wall of carded action figures isn’t my thing. My collection surrounds me when I burrow in my cave on a long winter’s night and I like to just sit there and see cool stuff in every direction.